Hallow
by sanitysugar
Summary: Somehow, Allen wasn't as surprised as he should have been.


Allen knew before he ever opened his eyes that something was wrong.

His entire body was throbbing, aching in places that had no right to ache, and his head was pounding nearly in time with his heartbeat. The last thing he could remember was reading in front of the fireplace in his library, no, that wasn't right. He had been in the forest with the Noah, the one who destroyed his left arm. His headache was getting worse, a pressure building behind his eyes, as he looked at his surroundings. He was in an infirmary, that much was obvious, but it wasn't like the room that had been reserved specifically for him at St. Mungo's for nearly three hundred years, nor did it look like any mundane medical facility. There was an especially painful throb as Allen became confused at his own thoughts. He'd never even heard of a St. Mungo's, let alone been there. Something wasn't right _._

A sudden heat flooded his system, like he was burning from the inside, and it was only a pain tolerance acquired through many years that kept him silent. His body arched, coming nearly a foot off the bed, as he gripped the sheets in pain and clenched his eyes shut. A few seconds passed that felt more like an eternity before it ended as suddenly as it began, leaving Allen feeling drained and dazed. His head was swimming, trying to process through the new but familiar memories trying to drown him, and he quickly found himself fighting a losing battle to stay awake. There was a warmth around him now, enveloping him and lulling him closer to sleep, and Allen stopped fighting.

+++++HPDGM+++++

Allen found himself sitting in a rather comfortable armchair in the middle of a large library, a warm fire just a few feet away, with an unfamiliar man sitting across from him. The man was quite handsome, with long dark hair in a messy style and the greenest eyes Allen had ever seen, and he found himself speaking without realizing it. "You're Harry Potter."

The man, Harry, smiled at him in amusement, titling his head to the side and reclining in his own chair. "And you're Allen Walker."

Allen blinked, mouth opening and closing as he tried to give a reply, before giving up when Harry spoke again. "I know you have a lot of questions, many of which you already know the answer to, so I'll just explain this as simply as I can. You died in the forest, killed by that Noah, but because of who you once were, you didn't stay dead." Allen opened his mouth to speak, feeling very confused, but refrained when Harry held up a hand. "When your heart stopped, several things happened at once. Our soul, sensing its demise, again, reached out to our Innocence for help. At the same time, it woke up me and my magic, knowing that our Innocence alone wouldn't be able to synchronize properly without an active connection to save us."

"So what does that mean, exactly?"

Harry rose gracefully from his seat, walking to Allen with all the elegance of a dancer. "It means I am your past, Allen Walker. When you open your eyes again, it will be with all the knowledge and experience of my very long life, as well as my memories and power." Harry stopped in front of him, taking the Exorcist's hands into his own, Allen too distracted to notice he had both arms fully intact. The wizard drew one of Allen's hands close to his chest, pushing the other against the Exorcist's. "Things might be confusing at first, there's no telling how our personalities will blend, but it will pass with time.I must confess, I don't know what changes this will bring for us or those around us."

Allen took a deep breath, warmth filling him as Harry's eyes bore into his own with an otherworldly glow. "It doesn't matter, we'll adapt. Just like we always have."

Harry smiled then, large and kind, as their surroundings started to fade. Allen closed his eyes, knowing the next time he opened them would be in the unfamiliar infirmary, and let himself relax as he felt Harry fall into him. Memories played behind his eyes as Allen felt himself drift into unconsciousness. Tomorrow, there would be consequences, but for now, he would sleep while his body adjusted to the change.

+++++HPDGM+++++

Waking up this time was different. Allen felt lighter than he could ever remember, like he would simply float away if he wasn't careful. There was magic flowing through him and in the air all around him, content to be near a true magic user, and he felt a smile tugging at his lips when it brushed against him playfully. "I really am still alive."

Allen sat up slowly, mindful of his missing arm and still battered body, before noticing he wasn't as alone as he'd thought. There was a girl sleeping against his bed, magic curling lazily around her form and a slight glow surrounding her that Allen doubted anyone else would see. She looked human at first glance, but Allen could tell she was some form of spirit thanks to Harry having dealt with his fair share in their last life. He was curious about the girl, but he was even more curious about where he'd been taken after he died, so it was an easy choice for him to slip out of bed silently and make his way out of the room.

Allen walked down the halls at random, taking in the seemingly never ending architecture, as he made a mental map in his head. Allen may have had no internal compass to speak of, but Harry had a sense of direction gained from years of navigating Hogwarts many dead-end hallways and trick staircases that had been further honed through the war and his later years as an Auror, so the only vaguely confusing turns he kept taking weren't nearly enough to make him lost. Eventually, after nearly an hour of walking, Allen stopped in front of a rather strange door. It was as large as Hogwarts front entrance and giving off the same glow as the girl he'd woken next to had, a rather large quantity of magic moving freely through the surface. He placed his bandaged hand against it, sending out a tendril of magic in greeting and receiving a welcoming brush in return. "No matter how hard you push, that door won't open."

Allen didn't bother feigning surprise, knowing the man was there before he spoke, but decided to keep his hand against the door even as he looked behind him. The man was a rather comforting blue, and Allen knew he would like the man even as he felt surprise one of Harry's abilities had carried over. Allen's left eye had already been able to see the souls of Akuma, so Harry's ability to see souls really shouldn't have been such a shock, but it was enough to prevent him from replying immediately. "What are you doing here?"

Allen lowered his hand and turned back to the door, keeping the curious glint in his eyes out of sight even as he let it seep into his voice. "Why won't this door open?"

"The guardian deity for this place is behind that door, which my great-grandfather sealed from the inside. Is there something you want here?"

Allen's eyes lidded in thought, sending out another tendril in curiosity that he took care to keep from doing more than just brushing against the magic behind the door. "Not really. I was just walking and found myself here. Is there any way I can open the door?"

"Instead of trying to open it, why not go back? What will you do if you could get through?"

Allen lowered his head, not even needing to think about his reply. "I'll keep walking, I don't want to stand still."

There was a pause, Allen drawing his magic back into himself while he waited for the man to respond. "Even without your left arm?"

Allen tensed, not liking the reminder that part of him was currently missing. He could feel his Innocence thrumming quietly through his veins and calling out to him from wherever it was in the facility, reassuring him his current state wasn't permanent. "Who are you to ask me that?"

"The leader of the Black Order's Asian Branch, Bak Chan. You could become one of the personnel here, Allen Walker." Allen was taken aback at the offer, confused anger etching itself onto his face even as Bak Chan continued to speak from his place still hidden in the shadows. "You can serve as support from now on, find a different path. There are many other things to be in the Black Order besides an Exorcist that you can do with your abilities. If you do that, even God will not blame you."

Allen couldn't hold back the amused grin at Bak's words, no matter how far from funny they were. "God? I don't care about that. I have my own oaths to keep, to the Akuma, to my friends, to this world I want to save. Why else would I have come back from death, if not to continue fighting? I will be what I have always been" He didn't realize he was crying until the tears made it to the edge of his cheeks, falling silently even as his knees buckled suddenly. Walking around an unknown place while he was still injured wasn't one of his better ideas, and it seemed to finally be catching up to him.

Bak Chan stepped out of the shadows, giving Allen his first look at the unusually fair-haired chinese man, still radiating the same shade of blue. "I understand Allen Walker. Your Innocence isn't dead, but before I could tell you, I had to be certain of your feelings. I had wondered if you would want to return, after finding out about the Fallen Ones and experiencing the terror of death. But Komui and I also wanted to be sure you wouldn't Fall." Bak smiled in amusement, breaking the tension that had built over the last few minutes. "Although, you might have gone overboard with your "I don't care" comment."

Allen grinned and laughed from where he'd collapsed on the floor. "Not really, if God's love is as never-ending as the Bible claims, then he never held a grudge in the first place." He got up slowly, circulating his magic through his legs to help support himself as he started to wobble. "And you weren't entirely right earlier. Death isn't the terrifying part, it's dying, especially not when you're always as close to it as I so often am."

Bak looked thoughtful at his words, storing them in the back of his mind to think about later, as he gave Allen a considering look. "I would like to talk more about this later, but for now let's go. Wong's been looking all over for you to change your bandages, and afterwords we'll see what we can do about your left arm."

Allen visibly brightened, eager to be reacquainted with his innocence. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's-"

"Found you, you idiot!" Allen gaped when the girl he'd woken up next to earlier came flying down the hallway, hitting Bak with a flying kick as she continued to yell. She stood with her hands on her hips after she landed, Bak now flying through the air. "How _dare_ you slip out of your hospital room. I don't care if you're an exorcist, you don't have the right to wander as you please through the Asian Branch! Besides, you should have _thanked_ me when you woke up first! I'm the one who carried you out of that bamboo thicket, after all."

Bak made a harsh impact with the wall, sent flying by the girl's kick, as Allen recovered from his shock. Bak recovered quickly, yelling at the girl as the two started to argue, Bak being held back from physically approaching the girl by an older man who'd come from the same hallway as the girl. Allen listened to them argue for a moment, finding himself amused at the interaction, and decided to interrupt before things could escalate. "Thank you for saving me, Miss…"

The older man, still restraining Bak, answered his unspoken question. "Her name is Fou. She's the guardian of the Asian Branch. I'm Master Bak's assistant, Wong. It's a relief to see you awake, Mr. Walker."

Allen brought his bandaged hand to his chest, touched at the genuine concern he heard in the man's voice, and gave the three of them a smile Luna had once termed a deadly weapon. "Thank you, for saving me."

The three of them were stunned at just how bright his smile was, they could practically see flowers blooming around him. Bak and Fou stopped fighting, Wong's grip on Bak going slack, while Fou found herself suppressing an irrational blush. No human should be able to smile like that, the boy must have been an angel. Allen tilted his head in confusion, smile still firmly in place, as the silence continued to stretch. "Is there something wrong?"

Wong was the first to recover, stepping away from Bak as he cleared his throat to speak. "Nothing , Mr. Walker. Why don't we get you fixed up, then we'll give you a proper tour of the place."

Allen walked forward on slightly trembling legs, his magic helping him move his still injured and weakened form. "Lead the way, Mr. Wong."

+++++HPDGM+++++

Allen, with a fresh set of bandages and rather comfortable clothes, listened with interest as Wong and Fou told him more about the facility and Bak lead them through the hallways. The Asian Branch reminded him of Gringott's, though much more welcoming and easier to navigate than the literal labyrinth the goblins called home. There were far more people around than Allen had expected, a myriad of colors dancing in front of his eyes as scientists and finders moved about, and he was amazed he hadn't run into anyone during his earlier exploration. Eventually, they stopped in front of a large set of doors, Allen's attention drawn by the sudden call of his Innocence when Bak opened one of the doors.

The four of them entered the room, Allen feeling giddy at the sudden happiness directed towards him from all around. The air was lighter in the room, but his vision was obscured by the gently glowing fog that swirled around them. "This is…"

Bak spoke up from behind him, watching him with careful eyes. "This was formerly the Innocence of your left arm."

Allen looked up towards the ceiling, staring into the fog with slightly wide eyes. "Innocence."

There was no way the others missed the way the fog swirled around Allen, practically coiling around him in an embrace, and he found himself smiling gently as Bak started speaking again. "Normally, when an Innocence is reduced to dust, it disappears. However, this Innocence did not. Additionally, since we found you, we've discovered it still retains all of its power."

Fou spoke up next, drawing his attention away from his Innocence for the moment. "When I was carrying you out of that thicket, this fog surrounded you like a protective covering. Although it was a pain trying to find my way back, I could barely see anything in front of me."

Allen had a couple theories about that, but nothing he would say in front people he didn't trust with his secrets just yet. "Even in this condition, you're still alive. But how?"

Bak sighed, a slight frown on his face. "Unfortunately, this is the extent of our current knowledge. Even Komui didn't expect this, even said something unscientific about it, which is quite rare for him."

They were interrupted by the entrance of three others, all wearing the standard white lab coat of the science division, and Allen blinked as the two men in the group started justifying their presence to Bak when the man gave them a sidelong look. The woman with them took a second longer, adjusting a pair of glasses over her eyes, before she turned around with an eager look. "Where is that exorcist boy?"

Allen gave her a gentle smile, greeting her calmly. "Nice to meet you."

The girl blushed scarlet, quickly turning and hiding her face, and Allen kept the smile on his face even as it took on a confused edge. The rest of the room's occupants just looked on in exasperation, three of them having already witnessed the power of Allen's smile, and Bak let go of a sigh as he brought them back to the reason they were all there. "I guess it can't be helped. Do you mind, Walker? Starting now, you'll have to invoke this scattered Innocence to restore your weapon. If you can change it into a weapon, you'll be able to fight again."

Bak smiled at him in encouragement, Allen responding with a smile of his own. "Then let's get started."

Bak nodded, motioning for Allen to walk deeper into the fog of Innocence while the rest of them moved to the edges of the room. Allen walked to the center of the room, taking a deep breath as he relaxed. He stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes, releasing his grip on his magic to mingle with the childishly excited Innocence as it started to condense around his form. He smiled as he reached out, eager to reunite, and felt it reaching back. He ignored the excited voices around him, focusing on his Innocence, when there was a sudden spike of fear.

The Innocence scattered around him again, swirling sluggishly, as Allen opened his eyes in confusion. His Innocence was no longer happy but scared, brushing against him as if it was seeking comfort but not reaching for him the way it had been before. There was hesitance even in that, and Allen frowned as he tried to figure out what had just gone wrong. Keeping his eyes open, Allen reached out for it again. Again it reached for him, starting to form his arm this time, and again there was a spike of fear as it scattered. Allen reached out a third time, questioning instead of trying to invoke, and the Innocence brushed itself over his injured arm and the center of his chest with a wave of remorse.

Uncaring of the people watching him closely, Allen reached out with his bandaged arm. "Are you worried for me? Is that it?" The Innocence swirled around his arm before moving over his shoulders and coalescing around where his left arm should have been, a wave of sorrow and joy coming from it in equal measure. Allen hummed in response, sending out a wave of reassurance, and smiled slightly as his Innocence moved to brush over his cheeks. "I understand, I won't fight again until I'm healed up. You don't have to be scared for me."

Joy radiated from the Innocence, filling the room with warmth the others must have felt, and Allen laughed. The joy disappeared a second before Allen felt his legs start to buckle underneath him, Innocence swirling around him as the worry came back stronger than before. "Sorry, it looks like that's my limit for today." Allen smiled even as he blacked out, Innocence trembling in the air with worry while Fou, Wong, and Bak all rushed to aid him, the other three being kept away by a now overprotective Innocence. It stayed with Allen as long as it could, trailing after him until Allen was finally carried out of the room it was currently trapped in. Its master would be fine, it knew, but that didn't prevent it from worrying as Allen disappeared from its sight.

+++++HPDGM+++++

Allen woke up feeling somehow both drained and refreshed to an increasingly familiar ceiling. He sat up with a sigh, his right arm still wrapped in bandages but much fewer than he remembered. The bandages around his torso were also gone, his injuries mostly healed, and he wondered just how long he'd been asleep to be so much further along in his recovery. With no way of knowing how much time had passed without anyone around to ask, he decided to pay his Innocence a visit. There was no telling how long he would have to wait before someone came to his room, but he would rather respond to the insistent tugging he felt than sit in boredom, so he left.

Allen found his way to his Innocence easily, no one paying him any attention in the halls as he passed, and stepped into the room with a grin. The exorcist laughed as he was given a rather enthusiastic greeting, his Innocence equivalent of a hug, and made his way to the center of the room. He came to a stop in the center and sat down on the ground with his legs crossed, propping his head up with his hand as he reached out to his Innocence. "I'm sorry about last time, I was more injured than I expected. I'm feeing much better now."

There was a brief pulse of worry before it was replaced by excitement, Innocence condensing in front of him in a vaguely humanoid shape that had his jaw nearly dropping. This was a very unexpected turn of events that Allen wasn't quite sure how to approach. After a few seconds and no visible response from Allen, the Innocence seemed to slump and start to scatter. "No, wait, don't scatter! I was just surprised, that's all." The Innocence brought itself back together and seemed to vibrate with happiness and Allen gave the form a bright smile. "Do you want to try synchronizing with me? We don't have to invoke, just connecting is okay."

Allen held out his hand towards the Innocence, radiating all the patience of a saint as his would-be partner sent him a wave of hesitation. After a few moments the hesitation slowly lessened and the Innocence reached out a foggy hand towards Allen's own. The exorcist closed his eyes as they made contact, reaching slowly across their connection as they started to synchronize. It was easier than Allen remembered, his soul connecting easily to the soul of the Innocence, and there was no doubt that magic was involved with the Innocence newly awakened sentience. Although, looking back, his Innocence had always been more aware than any other he'd encountered. Magic or no, there was no way Allen would have missed such clear emotions coming from something connected to his very soul. He resigned himself to not knowing for the moment, there was no other Innocence around for reference, and he knew he wouldn't encounter any until he was back in the field. First, he had to recover from his injuries and reconnect with his partner, synchronizing was just the first step.

Allen was just shy of being completely dead to the world, his focus only on his Innocence and their synchronization, and didn't notice when Bak entered the room. The scientist watched the proceedings with obvious awe, having never seen or even heard of anything like what was happening in front of him, and made sure there was a golem recording the whole thing. There was no way to refute Komui's claim, now. Allen Walker was beloved, if not by God, then certainly by the Innocence. Even as he watched, the Innocence continued to become denser in front of Allen's seated form, forming first one clearly humanoid shape and then two.

They were both small, roughly the size of a young child, but the higher Allen's synchronization rose the more solid the two became. They were still formed of particles, some of which condensed into in the same size and shape of Allen's left arm while the rest wrapped around Allen like a cloak. Bak was excited to see Allen regain his weapon, it seemed like they were just a step away, when the two figures let go of Allen's hand as the boy gasped and opened his eyes.

The particles that had wrapped around the exorcist dispersed but there still remained two distinct forms in front of him with enough features solidified to tell they were watching Allen. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were one split into two." The two forms shook their heads, grabbing Allen's right hand where it still hung in the air. "Opposites, then?" Another shake and a tug on his hand and in his soul. "…Balance?"

Two enthusiastic nods and a lapful of excited Innocence served as Allen's answer, the teen laughing as he draped his arm over the two forms without putting any weight on them, not sure they were solid enough to actually support his arm. His head whipped around, arm tightening protectively, when a slightly strangled noise reached his ears. Bak was standing on the outskirts of the room with the most stunned looked Allen had ever seen, even Harry hadn't seen anything quite like it, and loosened his grip on his Innocence when the man opened and closed his mouth for a long moment before he found his voice. "W-W-Walker, y-you, your, that is."

The man continued to fumble his words, Allen's amusement mounting alongside his Innocence' as he decided to take pity on the man. "Are you alright?" Bak went silent, continuing to gape, and Allen felt his Innocence becoming nervous. He sent out a wave of comfort, moving to pat one of the forms of his Innocence in reassurance. "You're staring is making them nervous."

There was an audible click as Bak's mouth snapped shut, face flushing in what Allen suspected was excitement. The man made an aborted step forward before deciding to keep his distance. "Walker, are you communicating with the Innocence?"

The Chinese man looked like he was about to combust from excitement and Allen gave him an exasperated smile, still soothing his Innocence from their place in his lap. "Yes, I can, sense them? I don't really get it myself, but we started to synchronize and, well, this happened."

"What is your synchronization at right now?!"

Bak was nearly vibrating in his excitement and Allen found himself shielding his Innocence partially from view defensively. "We're probably around 25% right now. I haven't tried to invoke, they won't let me until I've recovered, but I got restless just sitting in the infirmary."

Bak nodded at his words, pulling a rather sizable camera out from Allen didn't know where, and walked closer to the trio in the center of the room. "Can I take a picture of your Innocence? What if you raised your synchronization rate? Are they solid or intangible?"

Allen, feeling the growing fear from his Innocence, shifted his body to hide the two figures from view as much as possible and wrapped his magic around them comfortingly. "Bak, please slow down. You can take pictures and I'll synchronize with them, but first you need to back up a bit. You're scaring them."

The scientist stopped in his tracks before quickly back pedaling, calming visibly even if he still had an excited look on his face. "I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. Nothing like this has ever happened with an Innocence before, I didn't mean to scare them."

The man adjusted quickly, Allen had to give him credit for that, and relaxed from the defensive stance he'd taken without realizing it. "It's alright, just keep your distance for the moment. I'll raise our synchronization higher now."

Turning his attention back to the two in his lap, Allen gave them both a gentle smile as he reached out to them. Despite their brief fear, they responded eagerly to his call and continued to condense, steadily gaining weight as the three of them slowly raised their synchronization rate. Allen paid no mind to the click of Bak's camera, closing his eyes and focusing on his Innocence. The were approaching 45% when he started to feel two separate emotional responses, no longer the shared single response of before, and he felt them latch onto him instead of sitting mostly placid in his lap. They buried their faces into his chest and Allen wrapped his arm around their shoulders as his left shoulder started to tingle, a weight also settling over his shoulders. Soon they were at Allen's former limit, but still they continued to synchronize, and Allen felt his magic mixing into the bond. He let it coil around the three of them just outside of normal vision in a myriad of colors, filling the two in his lap with a sense of safety as it sank into them.

Bak watched in fascination as Allen synchronized with his Innocence. The two small figures made of Innocence were quickly becoming more defined, the humanoid shape of gathered particles solidifying into what Bak could only describe as a pair of children. One had hair as white as Allen's own with a cloak wrapped around it in the same brilliant shade, while the other had hair darker than anything the scientist had ever seen in a simple black outfit with silver bands around their wrists. He couldn't see their faces, buried as they were in Allen's chest, but he suspected they would be just as youthful as their size suggested. Bak continued to stare, absently taking pictures as a golem fluttered next to him and recorded whatever data it could, when there was a sudden blinding light and he was forced to close his eyes.

There were spots in Allen's eyes when the light died down, body slumping backwards and taking the two still clinging to him down with him, feeling magically and mentally exhausted. Whatever had just happened had nearly drained his magical core, it would take weeks for him to recover, but the two very content presences sleeping on top of him practically thrumming with Innocence and magic were enough to ignore the worst of the exhaustion. Wrapping his arms tightly around them, only vaguely registering the return of his left arm, Allen smiled and brought his Innocence close to him as he succumbed to sleep himself. He really hoped he didn't make passing out in this room a habit.


End file.
